Army of Tennessee
The Confederate Army of Tennessee ( Tennessee Army , not to be confused with the Unionist Army of Tennessee ) was a major unit of the Confederate Army in the American Civil War . She was the main army of the Confederacy in the western theater of war between the Appalachians and Mississippi . Most of the soldiers in the army came from this area . After the Northern Virginia Army , the Tennessee Army was the most famous and most powerful army in the South.
 |
| green = Stones River campaign, blue = Chattanooga & Chickamauga, |
| red = Atlanta & Nashville, orange = North Carolina |
history
The Tennessee Army was formed in November 1862 after the Kentucky Campaign ended . The previous Mississippi Army , the main Confederate Army in the western theater of war in 1862, formed the core of the new army. In addition, there were units from the army in East Tennessee, who had also participated in the Kentucky campaign. It was named, according to the customs of the time, after the area in which it mainly operated, the state of Tennessee .
| Stones River Campaign |
|---|
| Hartsville - Stones River |
| Commander in Chief: General Braxton Bragg |
| Losses: 10,415 men |
The first commander in chief of the army was General Braxton Bragg , who had previously led the Mississippi Army. Under him, the army fought their first major battle from December 31 to January 2, 1863 at Murfreesboro , Tennessee. After some initial successes, she was forced to evade to Tullahoma .
| Operations in the Middle Tennessee and Tullahoma Campaign |
|---|
| Dover - Thompson's Station - Vaughts Hill - Brentwood - Franklin - Hoovers Gap |
| Commander in Chief: General Braxton Bragg |
| Losses: 1,486 men (excluding Hoovers Gap) |
The Tennessee Army and its northern counterpart, the Cumberland Army under Maj. Gen. Rosecrans , remained largely inactive during the summer of 1863. In August 1863, as part of the Tullahoma campaign , the Northerners succeeded in driving the Tennessee Army out of Central Tennessee and conquering the important railway junction Chattanooga .
| Chickamauga campaign |
|---|
| Chattanooga II - Davis' Cross Roads - Chickamauga |
| Commander in Chief: General Braxton Bragg |
| Casualties: 18,454 men (Chickamauga only) |
The Northern Virginia Army then strengthened the Tennessee Army with parts of Lieutenant General Longstreets Corps . Increased in this way, the Confederates prepared the northern states a heavy defeat in the Battle of Chickamauga . The federal troops evaded to Chattanooga. Bragg decided to besiege the city. After the Battle of Chickamauga there were serious disputes between the Commander-in-Chief and his subordinate generals. The climax of the argument was a petition from several generals to President Davis . The undersigned generals called on the President to replace Bragg. Davis, who neither wanted to detach Lee from Virginia nor reactivate Beauregard or Johnston , left Bragg at his post. Leonidas Polk was transferred to the west and took over the Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana military area. James Longstreet was sent to East Tennessee with two divisions , where he was supposed to operate against Knoxville. Nathan Bedford Forrest , who had threatened Bragg with beatings, was also transferred west. Daniel Harvey Hill was relieved of his command, and Davis refused to forward his lieutenant general appointment to the Senate for confirmation.
| Battles for Chattanooga |
|---|
| Wauhatchie - Chattanooga III - Ringgold Gap |
| Commander in Chief: General Braxton Bragg |
| Losses: 7,558 men |
So plagued by disputes and weakened by the departure of Long Street's troops, the Tennessee Army failed to retake Chattanooga and destroy the Cumberland Army. The Northern States reinforced the Cumberland Army with troops from other theaters of war and broke the siege at the Battle of Chattanooga . The Tennessee Army was thrown back to northern Georgia. Braxton Bragg resigned and was replaced by Joseph E. Johnston.
| Atlanta Campaign |
|---|
| Dalton I - Rocky Face Ridge - Resaca - Adairsville - New Hope Church - Dallas - Picketts Mill - Marietta - Kolbs Farm - Kennesaw Mountain - Peachtree Creek - Atlanta - Ezra Church - Utoy Creek - Dalton II - Lovejoys Station - Jonesborough |
| Commander in Chief: General Joseph E. Johnston |
| Losses: 34,979 men |
Johnston succeeded in re-establishing the morale of the Tennessee Army and stood with the Army against William T. Sherman on his Atlanta campaign . He was shaped by the strategic defensive. The Tennessee Army constantly evaded the fight, but was outflanked by Sherman whenever they presented themselves again. The abandonment of the room without bringing about a decisive battle led to controversy with Jefferson Davis, especially since several officers had intrigued against Johnston. In addition, the relationship between Johnston and Davis had been strained anyway - Johnston had already stated in 1862 that he was not trusted by the government. Johnston was eventually replaced by the aggressive John Bell Hood when the Northerners got within a few miles of Atlanta. The replacement of Johnston was received very negatively by the troops; The fall of Atlantas was not prevented either.
| Franklin-Nashville Campaign |
|---|
| Allatoona - Decatur - Johnsonville - Columbia - Spring Hill - Franklin - Murfreesboro - Nashville |
| Commander in Chief: General John B. Hood |
| Losses: 12,169 men (excluding Johnsonville, Columbia and Spring Hill) |
Hood attacked after that defeat and advanced north. His opponent was Major General George Henry Thomas , who gathered various units of the Union near Nashville , Tennessee. The Tennessee Army suffered heavy defeats in the battles at Franklin and Nashville and had to move south. Lieutenant General Richard Taylor took command of the army .
Taylor was in command of the army only for a short time, because in early 1865 the severely decimated army was relocated east to South Carolina . Now again under the command of Joseph E. Johnston, she faced Sherman there on his Carolina campaign .
| Carolina Campaign |
|---|
| Rivers' Bridge - Wyse Fork - Monroes Cross Roads - Averasborough - Bentonville |
| Commander in Chief: General Joseph E. Johnston |
| Casualties: 3,092 men (Bentonville only) |
Outnumbered by far, the Confederates could not offer much resistance to Sherman, and an attempt to defeat parts of the Union army at Bentonville failed. After General Lee finally capitulated in Virginia , a union with the Northern Virginia Army was no longer possible. As a result, General Johnston surrendered to the Tennessee Army on April 26, 1865 at Durham Station, North Carolina.
equipment
The equipment of the Tennessee Army was broadly similar to that of the rest of the Confederate armies. However, the Tennessee Army was generally less armed and less equipped than its counterpart in Northern Virginia. For example, on the eve of the Battle of Chickamauga, around a quarter of the soldiers in the Tennessee Army were armed with smooth-barreled muskets, and the artillery ammunition was also of lower quality. In March 1863, the artillery itself consisted mainly of six-pounder cannons, model 1841, and twelve-pounder howitzers. Guns with rifled barrel or modern smooth-barreled cannons such as the twelve-pounder cannon model 1857 were few. A peculiarity of the Tennessee Army was the variety of war flags it used , which was due to the fact that the army's predecessor, the Mississippi Army, was formed from various smaller commands. It was not until 1864, under General Johnston, that the flags were unified. General Cleburne's division, which had distinguished itself several times in combat, was still allowed to use its old flag.
Commander in chief
- The Commander in Chief of the Tennessee Army
Braxton Bragg
November 20, 1862 - December 2, 1863
William Joseph Hardee
Interim
Joseph Eggleston Johnston
December 27, 1863 - July 18, 1864
John Bell Hood
July 18, 1864 - January 23, 1865
Richard Taylor
InterimJoseph Eggleston Johnston
February 25 - April 26, 1865
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organization
The Tennessee Army was subject to constant changes in the command structure. During the four years of the war, the Tennessee Army and its predecessor, the Mississippi Army, had seven different commanders-in-chief. However, these changes were not limited to the top level of command only. Commanding generals and division commanders also changed frequently, for example due to deaths or disputes with the respective commanders-in-chief (especially General Bragg). The composition of the army itself changed constantly: the Tennessee Army was reinforced several times by troops from other military areas and armies (for example Mississippi, East Tennessee, Virginia) and had to incorporate them. On the other hand, divisions often had to be deployed, for example to Vicksburg. The following list is intended to give an overview of the organization of the Tennessee Army at various points in time:
November 22, 1862
The organization of the Tennessee Army on November 22, 1862, just before the Battle of Murfreesboro . Commander in Chief: General Braxton Bragg.
| corps | division | commander | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polks Corps | Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk | ||
| Cheatham's division | Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham | Four brigades | |
| Withers' division | Brigadier General Jones M. Withers | Four brigades | |
| Breckinridge's Division | Brigadier General John C. Breckinridge | Three brigades | |
| cavalry | Brigadier General Joseph Wheeler | A brigade | |
| Hardees Corps | Lieutenant General William J. Hardee | ||
| Buckner's division | Major General Simon B. Buckner | Four brigades | |
| Anderson's division | Maj . Gen. J. Patton Anderson | Four brigades | |
| cavalry | Colonel John A. Wharton | A brigade | |
| cavalry | |||
| Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest | A brigade | ||
| Brigadier General John H. Morgan | A brigade |
November 20, 1863
The organization of the Tennessee Army on November 20, 1863, just before the Battle of Chattanooga . Commander in Chief: General Braxton Bragg
| corps | division | commander | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longstreets Corps | Lieutenant General James Longstreet | ||
| McLaws' division | Maj. General Lafayette McLaws | Four brigades, one artillery battalion | |
| Hood's Division | Five brigades, one artillery battalion | ||
| Hardees Corps | Lieutenant General William J. Hardee | ||
| Cheatham's division | Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham | Four brigades, one artillery battalion | |
| Hindman's division | Major General Thomas C. Hindman | Four brigades, one artillery battalion | |
| Buckner's division | Major General Simon B. Buckner | Three brigades, one artillery battalion | |
| Walker's Division | Major General WHT Walker | Three brigades, one artillery battalion | |
| Breckinridge's Corps | Major General John C. Breckinridge | ||
| Cleburnes Division | Major General Patrick R. Cleburne | Four brigades, one artillery battalion | |
| Stewart's division | Major General Alexander P. Stewart | Four brigades, one artillery battalion | |
| Breckinridge's Division | Three brigades, one artillery battalion | ||
| Stevenson's Division | Major General Carter L. Stevenson | Four brigades, one artillery battalion | |
| Wheeler's Cavalry Corps | Major General Joseph Wheeler | ||
| Wharton's division | Major General John A. Wharton | Two brigades | |
| Martin's division | Major General William T. Martin | Two brigades | |
| Armstrong's division | Brigadier General Frank C. Armstrong | Two brigades | |
| Kelly's division | Two brigades | ||
| artillery | Four batteries | ||
| Artillery reserve | Major Felix H. Robertson | Four batteries | |
| Detached | A brigade of cavalry |
April 30, 1864
The organization of the Tennessee Army on April 30, 1864, at the start of the Atlanta Campaign. Commander in Chief: General Joseph E. Johnston. Army strength: 43,887 men
| corps | division | commander | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardees Corps | Lieutenant General William J. Hardee | ||
| Cheatham's division | Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham | Four brigades | |
| Cleburnes Division | Major General Patrick R. Cleleburne | Four brigades | |
| Walker's Division | Major General William HT Walker | Three brigades | |
| Bates Division | Major General William B. Bate | Three brigades | |
| Artillery, Hardees Corps | Colonel Melanchton Smith | Four battalions | |
| Hood's Corps | Lieutenant General John B. Hood | ||
| Hindman's division | Major General Thomas C. Hindman | Four brigades | |
| Stevenson's Division | Major General Carter L. Stevenson | Four brigades | |
| Stewart's division | Major General Alexander P. Stewart | Four brigades | |
| Artillery, Hood's Corps | Colonel Robert F. Beckham | Three battalions | |
| Cavalry Corps | Major General Joseph Wheeler | ||
| Martin's division | Major General William T. Martin | Two brigades | |
| Kelly's division | Brigadier General John H. Kelly | Two brigades | |
| Humes' division | Brigadier General William YC Humes | Four brigades | |
| Artillery of the cavalry corps | Lieutenant Colonel Felix H. Robertson | Four batteries | |
| Artillery reserve | Lt. Col. James H. Hallonquist | Three battalions | |
| Detachment, military area golf | Brigadier General James Cantey | A brigade |
August 31, 1864
The organization of the Tennessee Army on August 31, 1864, just before the fall of Atlanta. Commander in Chief: General John Bell Hood. Army strength: 43,467 men
| corps | division | commander | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardees Corps | Lieutenant General William J. Hardee | ||
| Cheatham's division | Brigadier General George E. Maney | Five brigades | |
| Cleburnes Division | Major General Patrick R. Cleburne | Four brigades | |
| Bates Division | Major General John C. Brown | Four brigades | |
| Artillery, Hardees Corps | Colonel Melanchton Smith | Five battalions | |
| Stewart's Corps | Lieutenant General Alexander P. Stewart | ||
| Loring's division | Brigadier General Winfield S. Featherston | Three brigades | |
| Frenchs Division | Major General Samuel G. French | Three brigades | |
| Walthall's division | Major General Edward C. Walthall | Three brigades | |
| Artillery, Stewart's Corps | Lt. Col. Samuel C. Williams | Four battalions | |
| Lee's corps | Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee | ||
| Anderson's division | Maj. Gen. J. Patton Anderson | Four brigades | |
| Stevenson's Division | Major General Carter L. Stevenson | Four brigades | |
| Clayton's division | Maj. General Henry D. Clayton | Four brigades | |
| Artillery, Lee's Corps | Lt. Col. James H. Hallonquist | Four battalions | |
| Cavalry Corps | Major General Joseph Wheeler | ||
| Martin's division | Two brigades | ||
| Humes' division | Two brigades | ||
| Kelly's division | Five brigades | ||
| Jackson's division | Brigadier General William H. Jackson | Two brigades | |
| Artillery of the cavalry corps | Eight batteries |
December 10, 1864
The organization of the Tennessee Army on December 10, 1864, on the eve of the Battle of Nashville . Commander in Chief: General John Bell Hood. Army strength: 23,053 men
| corps | division | commander | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee's corps | Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee | ||
| Johnson's division | Maj. General Edward Johnson | Four brigades | |
| Stevenson's Division | Major General Carter L. Stevenson | Three brigades | |
| Clayton's division | Maj. General Henry D. Clayton | Three brigades | |
| artillery | Major John W. Johnston | Three battalions | |
| Stewart's Corps | Lieutenant General Alexander P. Stewart | ||
| Loring's division | Major General William W. Loring | Three brigades | |
| Frenchs Division | Major General Samuel G. French | Two brigades | |
| Walthall's division | Major General Edward C. Walthall | Three brigades | |
| artillery | Lt. Col. Samuel C. Williams | Three battalions | |
| Cheathams Corps | Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham | ||
| Cheatham's division | Four brigades | ||
| Cleburnes Division | Brigadier General James A. Smith | Four brigades | |
| Bates' division | Three brigades | ||
| artillery | Colonel Melanchton Smith | Three battalions |
April 9, 1865
The organization of the Tennessee Army on April 9, 1865, shortly before the surrender . Commander in Chief: General Joseph Johnston. Deputy: General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard . At the surrender on April 26th, Johnston's command was 31,243 men.
| corps | division | commander | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardees Corps | Lieutenant General William J. Hardee | ||
| Browns (formerly Cleburnes) Division | Major General John C. Brown | Two brigades | |
| Hokes Division | Major General Robert F. Hoke | Five brigades | |
| Cheatham's division | Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham | Two brigades | |
| artillery | Major Basil C. Manly | A battalion | |
| Stewart's Corps | Lieutenant General Alexander P. Stewart | ||
| Loring's division | Major General William W. Loring | Three brigades | |
| Anderson's (formerly Taliaferros) division | Maj. Gen. J. Patton Anderson | Two brigades | |
| Walthalls (formerly McLaws') division | Major General Edward C. Walthall | Two brigades | |
| artillery | Major A. Burnet Rhett | A battalion | |
| Lee's corps | Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee | ||
| Hills Division | Major General Daniel H. Hill | Two brigades | |
| Stevenson's Division | Major General Carter L. Stevenson | Two brigades | |
| artillery | Captain JT Kanapaux | One battery | |
| Cavalry Corps | Lieutenant General Wade Hampton | ||
| Unallocated troops | Various artillery, engineer , infantry and naval units |
Remarks
- ↑ The War of the Rebellion. Series 1, Volume 20, Part 2, p. 411: General Orders No.151
- ↑ a b c d e f National Park Service: Battle Summaries
- ↑ freeinfosociety.com: Forrest said to Bragg: I have stood your meanness as long as I intend to. You have played the part of a damned scoundrel, and are a coward, and if you were any part of a man I would slap your jaws and force you to resent it. […] You have threatened to arrest me for not obeying you orders promptly. I dare you to do it, and I say that if you ever again try to interfere with me or cross my path, it will be at the peril of your life.
- ↑ Michael Solka: Chattanooga. Pp. 7-10.
- ^ Robert U. Johnson, Clarence C. Buel (Ed.): Battles & Leaders of the Civil War. Volume 4, p. 292 Losses of the Southern States
- ↑ Johnson said of his wounding at the Battle of Seven Pines , which was succeeded by Robert E. Lee as Commander in Chief of the Northern Virginia Army: “The shot that struck me was the Confederation's best shot of the war . I have never been trusted by the government. My position is now taken over by a man who enjoys this trust. ”Quoted from Shelby Foote : The Civil War. A Narrative , Volume 1, p. 469
- ↑ On the replacement of Johnston: Connelly, Autumn of Glory , p. 391ff .; on his popularity with the troops: ibid., p. 423ff.
- ↑ a b Until the reorganization on April 9th, Johnston's area of command also included troops from other military areas. The actual commander in chief of the army was therefore temporarily Alexander P. Stewart
- ^ Edward Porter Alexander: Military Memoirs of a Confederate. P. 451.
- ↑ James A. Arnold: Chickamauga 1863. The River of death. P. 20.
- ↑ The War of the Rebellion. Series 1, Volume 20, Part 2, pp. 418ff .: Structure on November 22, 1862
- ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 31, Part 2, pp. 657ff .: Structure on November 20, 1863
- ↑ Operated in East Tennessee
- ↑ Operated with Longstreet in East Tennessee; however, a brigade and artillery battalion were ordered back
- ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 38, Part 3, pp. 638–44: Structure on April 30, 1864
- ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 38, Part 3, p. 676: Strength Report, April 30, 1864
- ↑ The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 38, Part 3, pp. 668–675: Structure on August 31, 1864
- ↑ The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 38, Part 3, p. 683: Strength Report, August 31, 1864
- ↑ Four brigades and one reserve
- ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 45, Part 1, pp. 664ff .: Structure on December 10, 1864
- ↑ The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 45, Part 2, p. 679: Strength report of December 10, 1864 This also lists a cavalry division under General Jackson.
- ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 47, pp. 1061ff .: structure after April 9, 1865
- ^ The War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 8, p. 811: Strength of the Army in Surrender
- ↑ Consists of Major General Wheeler's Corps and Major General MCButler's division
literature
- Thomas L. Connelly: Army of the Heartland. The Army of Tennessee, 1861-1862. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge 1967, ISBN 0-8071-0404-3 .
- Thomas L. Connelly: Autumn of Glory. The Army of Tennessee, 1862-1865 . Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge 1971, ISBN 0-8071-0445-0 .
- Larry J. Daniel: Cannoneers in Gray: The Field Artillery of the Army of Tennessee. 3rd revised & expanded edition. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa 2005, ISBN 0-8173-5168-X .
- Larry J. Daniel: Soldiering in the Army of Tennessee. The Portrait of Life in a Confederate Army. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill & London 1991, ISBN 0-8078-2004-0 .
- Andrew Haughton: Training, Tactics and Leadership in the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Seeds of Failure . Frank Cass, London & Portland, OR 2000, ISBN 0-7146-5032-3 .
- Stanley F. Horn: The Army of Tennessee . Reprint, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman & London 1993 (1941), ISBN 0-8061-2565-9 .
- Richard M. McMurry: Two Great Rebel Armies: An Essay in Confederate Military History University of North Carolina Press, 1989
- United States. War Dept .: The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies . Govt. Print. Off., Washington 1880-1901.